Help with Mattress Decision - In DC, Don't Have Strong Views - Overwhelmed by Choice & No Time

Was pointed to this amazingly helpful website by a friend. I’ve learned more about mattresses in a few hours than I ever thought possible. Thanks to everyone here for their insight. Pretty awesome stuff.

With that said, I live in DC, and I know given the level of analysis on this website I am asking for help while providing little useful input or insight. Here goes -

I’m a single guy in my late 20s that is looking to buy a king mattress. I’m going to put a feather bed (and a very thin mattress pad) on top. The feather bed is sourced from someone who came highly recommended, so am looking for something that I guess is slightly firmer than the average? I don’t honestly know though.

I was going to do something like buy the Westin Heavenly Bed or the W Plush Top bed, but after reading this site, it seems like those are horribly overpriced and basically just clones of things that can be bought cheaper elsewhere.

With regard to the latex/innerspring/memory foam question, I have an uninformed bias towards innerspring for the reason that I have been told that having springs is preferable with regard to extracurricular bedroom activities. Please feel free to disabuse me of this notion if it is incorrectly formed.

Here’s the catch. I know that that most useful thing to do is to go to a mattress store and try things out. I really do. I unfortunately am not in a position to do so - at all - combination of work and work related travel. So, basically, I’m looking to buy something online (or, I guess, I could call someone to place an order).

I really don’t have a preference on anything other than I would like it to be comfortable. Last time I stayed at a W, I slept like a baby, so to the extent that that’s useful, it’s a data point. I guess I’m probably a side and occasional back sleeper.

I will also need a standard box spring, but that doesn’t seem like it’s too much of a big deal.

Given what I’ve been seeing, and that the W bed was $2200, I think I’d like to spend <$1500. I’m overwhelmed by options and just don’t have time to figure things out. If someone (seems like Phoenix is the person that provides such dues ex machina like advice), could just recommend something, I’ll buy it and be forever grateful. I’m a big believer in deferring to experts.

I currently have a terrible old mattress from Ikea and I can’t wait - frankly, anything is going to be a massive step in the right direction.

In an ideal world, I would be take delivery within two weeks.

With that, o mattress cognoscenti, please let me know what I should do. I solicit thy advice and counsel. I’ll try to provide more information upon request, but I’m not sure I have much more to add. Thank you all in advance for your help.

Hi antics,

Hopefully you’ve had the chance to read the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices … and know how to avoid the worst ones.

Since you won’t be able to test mattresses in person … you would be skipping step 4 (testing mattresses locally) and replacing it with the optional online step.

You are certainly correct about this and hotel mattresses are considerably more costly than the roughly equivalent consumer mattress made by the same manufacturer and are a common source of buyers remorse (see post #3 here).

While you won’t find any consensus about this and it really depends on each person’s personal “style” … there are probably more people who will tell you that more resilient and faster responding materials like innersprings, latex, and polyfoam will be more “sex friendly” than less resilient and slower responding materials like memory foam. There is more about this in post #2 here.

Unfortunately you are asking the impossible because there are just too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to recommend a specific mattress for someone else out of all the thousands that are available in the market. When you can’t test a mattress in person then the “experts” that you would need to talk with and that are in the best position to help you and suggest a specific mattress is always a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer who has your best interests at heart and who will know more than anyone else about which of their specific mattresses is the most likely to be the best choice for you based on a more detailed conversation on the phone (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). The more information you can provide them when you talk with them the more you will help them to help you make the best possible choice although if you aren’t clear about your preferences and haven’t tested different types or mattresses or materials then there will always be some risk involved so their return or exchange policies may also be an important part of your personal value equation just in case “best efforts” aren’t as successful as you hope. I’m always happy to help with “how” to choose and the pros and cons of different materials or mattresses but the specifics of “what” to choose is up to each person.

There is a link to a list of the members here that sell online in the tutorial post and if you look through their sites then I would talk with the ones that make or sell the types of mattresses you are most interested in. There are four of them that make and sell innerspring mattresses of various types.

Most retailers or manufacturers will suggest which type of box spring or foundation would be suitable for the mattress you are considering and there is also more about box springs and foundations and which types tend to work best with different types of mattresses in post #1 here.

Phoenix

Phoenix,

Thanks very much for your extremely helpful reply.

Your posts and links have helped clarify my thoughts somewhat. I think that I will stay away from Memory Foam for the reasons you have outlined. It seems like Latex and Innerspring both provide “bounce.”

Despite the various professed bits of ignorance, I actually did take the time to read the tutorial post :slight_smile:

This is the post of non-memory-foam member sellers you were referring to, I believe - https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/latex-mattress - do you have any recommendation amongst those choices that would be preferable for purchase/shipping to DC? (Zip is 20001).

Thanks much again for your help. I am happy to speak to someone at a vendor you recommend to further understand what my mattress needs and desires really are to ensure I get the best product (even if I don’t know what it is that I need yet!)

Thanks - Antics

Hi antics,

Yes … that’s the one. I don’t know which type of innerspring mattress you would be most interested in so I really don’t have any more specific suggestions I can make other than talking with them about your options. If you are only interested in looking at innersprings then I would talk with all four but if you are also open to non innerspring mattresses as well (either latex or latex hybrids) then you would have more options but you will need to decide on the type of support layers (innerspring, polyfoam, latex) and the type of comfort layers (polyfoam, latex, natural fibers) you would prefer in a mattress to narrow down your choices.

The key is always to find the best mattress for you (there is no “best” mattress overall) and a significant part of the value of a mattress purchase for any particular person is PPP which includes your personal preferences and your preferences are something that only you can know.

Phoenix